6 Common Questions About Proper Dental Care Answered

Visiting emergency dentists with a severe toothache or bad infection is never fun. But is your dental care sufficient? We all feel that we have been taking good care of our teeth. Also, we read a lot about the best dental care routines.

However, we quickly forget blogs and online discussions about dental care and healthy oral habits we have read or followed. Clinics like Des Moines Dental Group from Iowa know that people read blogs and articles. Yet, people don’t quite like to follow such health tips and advice regularly.

So, let’s try something a bit different.

Let’s explore some common questions people have about visiting their dentist.

Online articles about dental care may not have an impact. So, let’s hope these 6 questions grab your attention –

1: What are the primary signs that I need to visit a dentist?

One of the first tooth problems to affect Americans is sensitivity. Many folks will simply ignore these sensations till they become too severe. By the time someone visits an emergency dentist with sensitive teeth – the damage is quite severe.

However, it is often the first sign that your dental care routine is insufficient. Tooth sensitivity may be because of dental caries, infections, or weakened enamel. Dealing with these problems early will save you from a lot of pain and even some money.

Another typical indication that you need a good dentist is receding gums. Several common problems may affect the soft tissue of your gums. Some illnesses, irregular brushing habits, poor technique, and several other reasons may cause damaged gums.

Health issues and lifestyle habits like smoking increase gun damage. The Des Moines Dental Group has also treated such cases after DIY teeth whitening or using non-medical oral products.

However, there’s a very simple lesson to learn here. Don’t let it get to the stage of needing help from emergency dentists.

Simply adding proper dental care to your daily routine should prevent most of these issues.

2: Does proper dental care mean visiting the dentist often?

Not really. You see, how often you should visit a dentist usually differs from person to person. Some people may need to visit their dentist every month. These patients usually have some form of serious tooth problem or orthodontic issues. The dental care you need depends on several personal factors.

However, top clinics like the Des Moines Dental group suggest at least 3 visits a year. Even people with perfectly healthy teeth should visit their dentist regularly. After all, many Americans have an annual dental care budget to justify. A general visit for cleaning and whitening teeth would be a good way to utilize your healthcare cover!

3: What can I expect when visiting a clinic like Des Moines Dental Group?

As a first-time patient to the DM Dental Group, your medical history is very important to the clinic. They will carefully examine your past dental records including any tests or x-rays. Further, the treatment would be based on your specific problems.

There are few large dentists’ clinics like Des Moines Dental Group in Iowa. Most smaller clinics near Des Moines or Oakland Acres (Iowa) are not as well equipped. Also, smaller clinics would probably not follow a comprehensive procedure for each patient.

However, if you visit the DM Dental Group as your emergency dentists, a slightly different method would apply. The consulting dentist would first work on providing you relief, before going through your medical history. These are some common patient protocols for any of the top dental clinics in the US.

4: What can I expect when visiting any emergency dentists?

An accident which involves facial injury will eventually involve a dentist. Chipped teeth or sports injuries are lesser trauma, but also emergency situations. However, this is not the context of this common question about dental care. These injuries related dental cases are quite rare.

When patients ask for “emergency” help at a clinic like the Des Moines Dental Group, the problem is usually preventable. These are minor issues which have festered and become emergency situations. Infected teeth or cavities are usually very painful, hence the “emergency” situation. Unfortunately, there is usually a long healing period for these problems.

Simply following your dentist’s general instructions like proper brushing and flossing should be enough to prevent these self-caused problems.

An infected tooth that needs removal, or filling a cavity is one of the most unpleasant experiences for many people. Not only is the condition painful, but the treatment and healing period is no walk-in-the-garden either.

There are two specific reasons to visit emergency dentists – poor regular dental care, or severe trauma. We can’t predict or prevent accidents, so trauma is entirely different. However, your dentist would rather see you for a general check-up than an infected cavity or sensitivity problem!

5: To what extent can regular dental care prevent emergencies?

To a great extent! Proper dental care is the first step to prevent dental emergencies.

Most dentists in America would immediately agree that good oral care habits lower your need of visiting their clinics. If you brush properly, avoid smoking, and rinse well after eating – you lower chances of problems like tartar and cavities.

However, do remember that a few visits to the dentist each year is advisable, especially for children and old people. If you are a smoker or have an illness – you would need more frequent visits to the dentist.

6: At what age should children first visit a dentist?

Medically advised dental care for children usually starts at about 4 to 5 years. This is the age when their milk teeth are going to fall off in a few years. Experienced pediatric dentists will be able to predict the future growth of their permanent ‘adult’ teeth at this age.

By the age of 10 to 12, your child’s permanent teeth should start maturing. This is a very critical age since personal dental care habits start developing at this age. It is also the age for a dentist to determine whether your child would need braces or other orthodontic support.

The Des Moines Dental Group have been emergency and pediatric specialists for over 40 years. Several families near the Des Moines area trust their child’s dental care on this clinic. This also includes orthodontic treatments like braces.